


Til the Stars Fade

by takemetofantasyland



Category: Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, we're just out here for the summer vibes ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemetofantasyland/pseuds/takemetofantasyland
Summary: Anya and Dmitry are summer camp counselors who struggle to see eye to eye. Dmitry’s campsite antics grind on Anya’s nerves, but she’s too proud to let one person ruin her summer, especially him. Fate pulls them to work together, and possibly even enjoy each other’s company.
Relationships: Dimitri | Dmitry/Anya | Anastasia Romanov (Anastasia 1997 & Broadway)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We’re truly out here for the summer vibes with this one! This one is just for fun and a daydream for anyone stuck indoors this summer! :)

The summer sunlight poured through the bus window and Anya braced her arm against the window ledge as she pushed the window shut. That was the last one. She checked ‘shutting bus windows’ off on her checklist. With a soft sigh and her hand resting on her hip, she was ready. 

Anya was the last camp counselor to get off the bus after the final round of pickups. She turned behind her to check for lost and dropped items as campers filed onto the campsite, thanked the bus driver as she skipped down the steps of the bus and jumped down with her clipboard. 

For just a moment, she admired the campsite in its bright, youthful glory. The smell of summer in the air, the light beading of sweat on her forehead, the way her shirt slightly clung to her back, she would take it all—this was the best job she had ever had. 

Other counselors worked with campers to unload their belongings from under the buses and she could already hear campers yelling and laughing with excitement as they were reunited with friends, old and new. 

Anya hugged her clipboard to her chest and closed her eyes. This was likely the last moment she would have to be just Anya before she was in charge of a group of campers for the next couple weeks. 

She snapped to and flinched as she felt a jet of cold water spray across her legs and body. She held her hands and her clipboard up to shield herself as she let out a yelp. Her eyes opened and she was cross with whoever she was going to have to discipline for that. 

Much to her surprise she was faced with one of the other counselors. She grit her teeth as she spotted the super soaker water gun in his hands and a stupid grin wiped across his face. “Welcome to Camp, Romanov,” he smirked.

He was so proud of himself and she hated it. She hated how his tall, lanky figure gave him a height advantage with a super soaker. She hated how his hair fell in his eyes just the right way to make the other counselors fall for his games. She hated the way his smile was so charming when she knew the ideations of the devil were behind it. 

“Dmitry!” Anya gasped. She felt water dripping down her legs and squeezed her eyes shut as a chill rippled down her spine.

He sprayed her again.

Anya held her hands up to shield herself from his line of fire. 

“Yeah?” he asked, a dimple deepening in his cheek as he looked at her innocently. 

“I–” Anya began as she looked down at where her clothes were now wet. And then she paused as her face went through the stages of processing just how insufferable he was. “I don’t like you.”

He cracked a smile as if her approval—or disapproval— meant anything to him. 

“I never asked you to like me,” he smirked and turned to walk away, carrying his Super Soaker over his shoulder like a hunter who had won game. 

Anya’s mouth gaped open as she searched for a clever reply, but he was already gone. 

She clenched her fist, and then uncurled it. She told herself he wasn’t worth getting worked up over. 

Anya inhaled and tossed her hair and walked past him to join the campers as they gathered into groups. 

She heard campers squeal and laugh as Dmitry sprayed them with water. It absolutely got on her nerves that he got himself into so much trouble and still was branded as being one of the fun counselors. 

One of the head counselors stood up on a ledge and blasted an alarm. “Alright campers! Find your counselors and get settled into your cabins! We’ll meet back here for lunch in about half an hour!”

Anya gathered her girls and checked her list twice. She called each girl’s name and checked it off on her list, and led them to their cabin. 

As she started up a path to her campers’ cabin, she glanced over at Dmitry as he gathered a rambunctious group of boys and he caught her gaze and stuck his tongue out at her. 

Anya rolled her eyes. Working with Dmitry on the staff was like working with a child. And somehow he was still one of the most favored counselors. She supposed it took a child to know how to get through to children. 

Anya turned on her heel and walked to a cabin, helping girls set up their bunks and stow away their belongings. The girls set to work decorating their cabin and asking Anya for help hanging photos and other items to make it feel more like home. 

There was nothing like summer camp, and Anya wasn’t going to let anything—or anyone—ruin it for her this summer.

* * *

The bonfire on the first night of camp was one of Anya’s favorite camp traditions. To Anya, the bonfire was a complete taste of what camp was all about. She got to hang out with her counselor friends, she got to share stories with her campers, and she got to teach songs and eat s’mores with everyone. 

Her heart pounded with excitement. She loved all the traditions their camp had, and even more she loved getting to share those with new campers and welcome to a place she felt at home. 

Anya gathered her box of items to make s’mores for her campers and carried them back to her girls. She helped them each with a marshmallow and showed them how to toast them just enough so the marshmallow didn’t burn. 

The girls giggled and began asking Anya questions while she was toasting marshmallows and helping break pieces of chocolate. 

“Do you know any songs, Anya?” one girl asked. 

“Songs?” Anya repeated as she stuck a marshmallow on a stick. “Let me think.”

The girls looked at her expectantly with wide eyes. 

Anya pretended to think for a moment, scrunching her nose as she tried to think back in her memory. “Of course I know some songs!” she grinned. 

The girls smiled and laughed and she began to teach them a repeat-after-me song. Anya led a song with her girls and as it came to an end, she smiled. It was a shared moment of getting her girls to come together and do their first activity together, and that moment was always special to her. 

There were other ways to get through to campers other than being a child along with them. 

After a couple more songs, Anya took the opportunity to listen to each of her campers’ hopes for the summer over a last round of s’mores before having to go in for the night. 

Campers slowly started to cave to the exhaustion of excitement, and Anya tidied up their space before making sure all the girls made it back to their cabin for the night. 

As she quietly shut the door to her girls’ cabin she turned and walked back to the main cabin. She stepped into the small office building to check the schedule for night duty. 

Immediately she gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. 

_On Duty tonight: Anya and Dmitry_

She turned over her shoulder at the slightest gut feeling that she wasn’t alone. 

She wasn’t. 

Dmitry was sitting on the counter in the office tossing something in air to entertain himself while he was waited for her. He caught her gasp and arched his brow as he looked at the shock in her face.

He jumped down from the counter and grabbed the two radios from the charging station. 

Anya turned to look at him and took the radio he handed to her. 

“You look like you saw a ghost,” he teased. 

“I think I saw something much worse,” Anya snapped as her eyes narrowed. 

“I hope you’re not spooked easily,” Dmitry grinned as he used a flashlight to flicker light across the walls of the dimly lit office. “It’s wild out there after the sun goes down. That’s the true beauty of camping out in nature.”

He flashed his flashlight at her. 

“I think I can handle it,” Anya retorted as she glared at him. She marched up to him to square up, but she only matched the height of his chest. “I’ve done worse. I’ve had to put up with you.”

“Ouch,” Dmitry laughed. “Low blow, Romanov.”

Anya glared at him and strapped her hip pack around her waist. She checked her radio was on the right channel and her flashlight. 

“Let’s just… go,” Anya sighed as she rolled her eyes. 

Dmitry laughed softly behind her as he strapped a backpack on his back with their emergency kit. 

Anya stepped out of the office and walked to the picnic table they set up as their station. Dmitry followed behind and sat across from her.

She pulled her legs over the bench and turned her back to him. 

It was going to be a long night. 


	2. Chapter 2

The night sky was only illuminated by a smattering of stars. It was hours after the sun had gone down, but the humidity still clung to the night air. The chirping of a tired cricket broke the silence of the mid-summer night air. 

Anya sat with her arms crossed, gently bouncing her foot as if she was keeping time, only wishing it would pass a little more quickly. 

Dmitry leaned onto the picnic table, settling his chin into his hands. 

“Did you have a good time at the bonfire?” Dmitry asked. 

“Yes,” Anya replied curtly. 

Dmitry shifted on the bench behind her. There was a beat between them as Dmitry waited for words he knew would not come. Anya tightened her arms across her chest and inhaled sharply. 

Dmitry’s lips parted as he tried to think of something else to say, and then he snapped his mouth shut. He folded his hands and unfolded them. He picked up the flashlight and ran his thumb over the switch. 

“Are your girls settling in alright?” Dmitry asked. 

His flashlight flickered on and off behind Anya, casting light on a nearby tree. 

“Yes,” she replied. Anya clenched her jaw and crossed her legs with her back to Dmitry. 

He let out an exhausted sigh, “Is this how you’re going to be all night?” 

“Yes.”

There was only the occasional buzz of static on their radios between them. 

“Alright,” he sighed softly and gently tossed his hands up. 

Anya stared out into the distance, her eyes settling on the lake as she tried to pull her focus away from Dmitry.

She heard Dmitry grumble behind her and she turned the slightest amount to catch him out of the corner of her eye. 

He had found something else to occupy himself, after finding her temper to be short and uninviting. 

To be fair, he had not been so kind to her. She didn’t feel guilty for not being pleasant to him in return. 

Anya busied herself with the friendship bracelet she had started earlier in the day. She heard Dmitry sigh behind her and she whipped around to look at him. 

“What?” he asked. 

“What?” she snapped. 

“Nothing,” he held his hands up. 

“You’re sighing really loud,” Anya replied. 

“Sorry, I’ll try to sigh more quietly,” he grumbled. His brow knit and he ran his fingers through his messy hair. 

Anya turned around and worked on her bracelet as she listened carefully for any sounds coming from the radio. 

Her fingers worked on the pieces of thread and she bit her lip as she concentrated. If she was lucky, this would pass the time rather quickly. 

“What are you working on?” Dmitry asked. He leaned across the table to try to get a peek at what she was doing. 

“A bracelet,” Anya replied. 

“For who?” 

“For myself,” Anya replied. “To keep myself busy instead of wasting the batteries in the flashlight.”

He flipped the flashlight off. 

“I thought you made friendship bracelets for other people?” he teased. “Isn’t that why it’s called a friendship bracelet?”

Anya rolled her eyes. 

“Do you not have any friends to give it to?” Dmitry asked. 

Anya could hear the stupid grin on his face. 

“I have plenty of friends I could give this to,” Anya replied as she continued making the bracelet. “I just want to keep this one for myself.”

Dmitry laughed. 

Anya didn’t even turn to look at him. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. 

Time seemed to pass slowly, and she was gently reminded of his presence as he flickered his flashlight when he got bored. 

Her face was growing long and tired, and she glanced down at her watch to see they had five minutes left of their shift before she could go to bed. 

Anya got up and began to collect the supplies from their stakeout to take back to the office for the night.

Dmitry sat, stunned, as she swiped the radios from the table and headed back to the office. He grabbed the first aid kit and strapped it on, following behind her. 

Anya opened the door to the office without waiting for him, and walked quickly across the room to dock the radios and clock out for the night. 

Dmitry hurried into the office after her, and took the first aid kit off. 

Anya walked across the office and pushed the door open on her way out. 

“Romanov,” Dmitry called as he tucked the first aid kit into the cabinet. He shut the cabinet and locked it.

He stood up and straightened himself out as Anya walked through the door. “Goodnight,” Anya grumbled as she headed up the walking path to her cabin. 

Dmitry watched as the door shut in the office. “Goodnight,” he said softly.

* * *

There were years the camp had passed by too quickly, and Anya had learned to take a step back from time to time and take in the moments and the memories. The mess hall was one of her favorite places to take a moment to be grateful and to remember this was where they all came together for each meal, each day. 

She couldn’t help but smile watching campers forming friendships and bonding over meals. Teaching camp traditions was one of her favorite parts of camp, and she couldn’t be more thrilled to be there. 

Anya grabbed a tray in the mess hall for lunch and got in line to grab her meal. She stood on her toes, trying to see down the line what they were serving today. 

Suddenly a tall man pushed in front of her and she stumbled backward and caught her footing. 

She heard him laugh softly as he stood inches away from her. 

“Dmitry!” Anya snapped. 

He grinned as he turned over his shoulder, just enough to catch her angry face, “I didn’t see you there.”

“Dmitry!” Anya cried. 

He laughed, unfazed by her anger. He stepped out from in front of her and got behind her. 

“I was just kidding,” he laughed. 

Anya clutched her tray and crossed her arms. 

“What are they serving today?” Dmitry asked. 

“For you? A piece of my mind!” Anya snapped. 

She looked up at Dmitry, her teeth grit and her hand balled in a fist. 

Dmitry’s brow arched and he broke into laughter, “that was a good one, Romanov.”

Anya groaned and turned around. She crossed her arms in disgust at the way everything was a joke or a game to him.

Dmitry was joined shortly by another counselor and then that took all of his attention away from Anya, anyway. 

She was relieved as she watched him out of the corner of her eye as she filled her plate and walked across the hall to sit with her campers. 

* * *

Anya walked into the counselors’ office to check the board for who was on duty that night. 

_ On Duty: Anya and Dmitry _

She sighed and rubbed her temple. Anya knew she should savor her last few moments of peace for the night. 

Dmitry stepped into the office and walked over to the charging dock to get the radios. He handed one to her and strapped the backpack on his back. 

With few words between them, he walked with Anya down to the flagpole for their station. 

Anya sat down on the bench by the flagpole. They had a long night ahead of them. 

Dmitry softly groaned as he sat beside her and gently rested the backpack at his feet. 

Dmitry was quiet tonight. Anya had noticed that. He didn’t make any jokes or try to pull anything on her for his own amusement. He was just quiet. 

He sat with his hands folded in his lap as he stared up at the night sky. Anya supposed you had to pass the time somehow. 

She pulled her bracelet out of her bag and continued working on it. Perhaps he had found attempting to talk to her futile and had chosen to remain silent instead.

There was a pang of guilt in her stomach that she had made herself so standoffish. 

Her fingers worked on simple knots to braid her bracelet. She didn’t think too much, just about the pattern of the chords and keeping the bracelet flat. 

One of the radios buzzed and clicked with static and they both jumped and turned to look at it. 

Anya held her breath and stared at the radio. It buzzed and clicked again. Her heart raced, unsure if someone was trying to reach them. 

Her mind began to race thinking back to all the training they had before camp and what they should do in this scenario. No one had said anything about a radio signal that then went silent. 

They were off book, and Dmitry’s hand was frozen inches away from the radio, like he had rushed to grab it and froze at the last second. 

The radio buzzed one last time.

Dmitry grabbed it, and held it to his ear. He clicked the receiver, “Hello?”

He released the receiver and held it to his ear as he listened. The radio clicked and Dmitry flinched. He flipped it over and pulled the battery pack out. 

Anya reached out to stop him, disagreeing with his rash decision to put it out of its misery all together, but it was too late. 

He snapped the battery pack back into the radio in an attempt to restart it and listened to it. It clicked and the indicator channel light turned off. 

Dmitry grabbed the other radio. He pressed the receiver button, “Everything alright?”

He released the receiver and listened. 

Anya’s heart raced and she held her breath. A minute passed, but it was likely the longest minute of Anya’s life. 

The radio clicked and one of the campsite managers came over the radio, “Everything is fine here, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I think one of our radios burned out,” Dmitry replied. 

“Got it. Thanks, Dmitry.”

“No problem,” Dmitry replied. He released the receiver button and set the radio down. 

Anya looked up and her eyes met Dmitry’s for a moment before she broke his gaze. 

She exhaled but her breath hitched. Anya returned to her bracelet, her heart still racing and her fingers trembling. 

“False alarm,” Dmitry murmured. 

Anya nodded. She curled her knees to her chest on the bench and gently pressed against him. Feeling him there beside her grounded her. 

He was silent, and his breathing slowed. 

Anya felt her breathing slow in rhythm. 

Dmitry stiffened his body beside her and straightened his back. 

Anya turned to look at him and sat up straighter. She hoped in the dark of the night sky he couldn’t see all the blood had drained from her face from her mind blanking in panic. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Anya said softly. 

Dmitry dug through his backpack and offered her his water bottle. 

“I’m… fine,” Anya tried to refuse. 

“You’ll feel better,” he said softly as he gently pushed it into her hand. 

Anya took his water bottle and took a sip. She kept her eyes on him as she pulled his water bottle from her lips. 

Dmitry watched her and waited for her to swallow. 

Anya couldn’t help but feel like this was some cruel prank, but the ‘Gotcha’ moment never came. She sipped from his water bottle and closed it to hand back to him. 

He took it back and put it in his backpack.

Anya wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, feeling her cheeks burn. Dmitry didn’t seem to be paying too close attention to her.

“What’s been the best part of camp for you so far?” Dmitry asked as he zipped his bag shut. 

Anya looked up at him. She couldn’t tell if he was being serious. “What?”

“What’s been your favorite part of camp this year?” Dmitry asked with a shrug. 

Anya’s smile faded as she got lost in thought, “I don’t know if I could just pick one thing, you know?”

“Come on, there must be something that stands out more than anything else,” Dmitry grinned as he leaned back. “One thing.” 

“I don’t know,” Anya replied. “Playing games with my girls has been a lot of fun.”

“Ah, a good choice, Romanov,” Dmitry grinned. 

Anya smiled as she put her bracelet down and folded her hands in her lap. “What’s been yours?” she asked. 

“Hm?” Dmitry looked at her and arched his brow. 

“What’s been the best part of camp for you?” Anya asked. 

Dmitry laughed and his eyes cast down to the dirt beneath their feet, “I don’t know.”

“You can’t tease me and then say you don’t know!” Anya retorted. 

She shifted and turned toward him on the bench and pulled her knees to her chest.

Dmitry smirked as his eyes cast away, “I like sitting around in the evening and telling ghost stories to my campers.”

Anya laughed and rolled her eyes as she shook her head. 

“Listen, you have it easy, you can sing a song or make friendship bracelets with your girls,” Dmitry shook his head. “Boys aren’t like that, they-they’re at that age where they like scary stories or want to be spooked and they act all tough like they can handle it, but how tough can you really be when you’re ten?”

Anya cast her eyes away and smiled. “It’s not that easy, every couple years I get a girl who wants to tell ghost stories to scare all the others,” she replied. “Or a camp counselor who likes to mess with you.”

Dmitry smirked.

Anya turned and looked at him with a coy smile. 

Perhaps it was how exhausted she was, or it was just the middle of the night, but he didn’t seem so bad after all. 

His walls started to come down, and his grin was soft instead of spiteful, and his mannerisms were gentle instead of cruel. 

Anya rubbed the sleep from her eyes. They still had an hour to go.

* * *

Anya sat on the bench of a picnic table, where Dmitry was sitting on top of the table and resting his feet on the bench. He was eating chocolate pudding from the leftover snacks, and watching the campers during free play. 

“Sorry did you not see me sitting here?” He asked. 

Anya flashed a smile, “I did.”

“And you chose to sit here anyway?” He teased. “Were all the other tables taken?”

He ate a spoonful of pudding and slowly pulled the spoon out of his mouth. 

Anya shook her head. “No, I wanted to sit here.”

He laughed as he scraped the bottom of the cup and finished another spoonful. 

Dmitry looked up and watched two campers playing rough in the grass. He focused for a moment and Anya followed his line of vision. 

Dmitry carefully raised his whistle to his lips as he watched the pair. 

Anya’s heart raced as she watched him about to jump into action. 

He paused for just a moment longer and watched the pair break apart on their own. He dropped his whistle. 

“What was that?” Anya teased. 

“Usually they break it up on their own,” Dmitry replied. “I like to give them a chance to figure it out, but if they get too rough I’ll step in.”

“Yeah?” Anya teased. 

“Listen, I was a boy once, boys rough each other up,” Dmitry replied. “And most of the time it works out.”

Anya smiled. His style of discipline was different but she liked it. He let them bend the rules without breaking them. 

He watched for a moment longer, “See? Friends again.”

Anya smiled. 

“How’s that bracelet coming?” Dmitry asked as he set his empty cup aside. 

“Oh,” Anya said quietly. “I’m almost done with it. I usually only work on it to pass the time though.”

Dmitry nodded. 

There was a beat between them but a comfortable silence. Anya didn’t think she could ever have a comfortable moment sitting with him, let alone a moment that was voluntary.

* * *

Anya’s heart sunk with a pang of disappointment when she checked the duty board one night to see Dmitry paired with another counselor. Taking the night shift with Dmitry had become something special shared between them, whether they liked it or not. She was a little upset to see she was off for the night while he was on. 

Anya walked across the office as Dmitry was grabbing radios and the first aid kit. He pulled the backpack on and adjusted the straps. 

“Hey!” Dmitry called. “Romanov!”

She turned around and caught his gaze as she headed out, “Yeah?”

“Where are you going?” He asked. 

“To bed,” Anya laughed as she paused in the doorway. 

“We–” Dmitry turned and looked over his shoulder at the board. He paused as he read his name with another. “Oh.”

He turned to look back at Anya and her fingers lingered on the doorframe as if they were holding her there for a moment longer. 

“When Katerina said I was on duty tonight I just assumed–” he paused, but didn’t finish his sentence. 

Anya hoped he would. 

His mouth gaped like he didn’t have the words to say what was on his mind. His lips closed and she could see a shift in his mind as his brow knit and his eyes cast away. 

“Well, you know what they say about assuming,” Anya smirked. 

Dmitry paused and took a moment to register her words. “Hey!” He laughed. 

Anya’s fingers dropped from the doorframe. “Have a good night, Dmitry,” Anya smiled as she walked out the office. “Stay safe out there.”

He bowed his head to check the strap on his backpack to hide the blush in his cheeks. 

“Uh, yeah, I will,” he replied, his hand gently rubbing the back of his neck. “Have a good night.”

Anya stole one last glance with her lip tugging into a smile as she scrunched her nose. She pushed the door open and left to walk to her cabin. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write an entire universe for this scene? Perhaps.

After their shift ended, Anya lingered in the office. She hated to admit she was glad to be back with Dmitry on duty.

She was exhausted, but didn’t want to go to bed. She and Dmitry had passed the hours playing little games and sharing their favorite camp memories. Anya had finished her bracelet and tied it off and tucked it in her pocket for safekeeping. 

Dmitry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, somehow making it messier in his own exhaustion.

Anya smiled at him and pushed the office door open. She stood on the walking path and stared out at the campsite. Dmitry neared behind her and followed her gaze. 

There was a beat between them, and they stared at the sky together for a moment.

“Do you trust me?” Dmitry asked.

Anya turned to look at him. Her smile faded and she realized he was being serious. “Yeah,” she replied. 

He turned his back to her, “Will you let me carry you?”

Anya laughed. Dmitry held his hand out to catch one of her legs as he bent down so Anya could jump on his back. 

Anya fixed her grip and looked up at the sky above them. 

Dmitry started walking away from the campsite, and Anya couldn’t tell where he was going. He shifted her weight on his back and gripped her legs as he walked.

Anya was impressed—he walked remarkably fast for someone carrying his own weight and the weight of another person. 

He picked up his pace into a light jog and Anya’s heart began to race.

“Where are you going?” Anya cried as her arms tightened around his shoulders. In slight panic, she locked her feet around his waist as he carried her. If she had learned anything over the last several weeks, it was that Dmitry Sudayev was a wild card. 

Dmitry readjusted his grip on her thighs as she clung to his back. The midnight sky was illuminated by a smattering of stars, and Anya couldn’t see much beyond Dmitry. 

His response came in a roll of laughter and a grin she could hear while she stared at the back of his head. She buried her face in his back. Watching where he was going was making her nervous. 

Anya reached up and poked his cheek with her finger. She felt his cheek tighten into a smirk in response. 

He paused for a moment as his feet braced him to carry his weight and hers down a small slope to the lake. 

“Dmitry!” Anya warned. 

He shushed her. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and she squeezed her eyes shut. As reckless as he was, she was sure he was going to fall, and she could only brace for the impact. 

He came to a halt at the dock and released her thighs from his grip. 

Anya dropped her feet to the ground and straightened herself out. 

He was out of breath but had a devilish smile in the dark of night. 

“What are we doing here?” Anya whispered fiercely. “You know we’re not supposed to be out by the lake after hours like this.”

“I think you follow the rules a little too closely, Romanov,” Dmitry replied. “Loosen up once in a while, it’s good for you.”

Anya bit her lip and clenched her fist. She was about to argue, but then she sighed and released it. 

“It was fine when we were just messing around by the cabins, but this is too far!” Anya crossed her arms. 

“Too far?” Dmitry grinned.

Anya shifted her weight and gave him a warning look. 

“You know, Romanov, I never would have guessed you were the type to have a stick up your ass about following the rules,” He added dryly as his lip curled into a wicked grin. 

Anya grumbled beside him as she tried to let his jab roll off of her. She knew Dmitry got a rise out of on purpose and any way he could ruin her day he would.

Dmitry reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He tossed it aside and slid his shoes off. 

Anya crossed her arms and pouted as she watched him take a step closer to the lake. 

“Were you going to go for a swim with me? Or–” Dmitry teased. 

“Dmitry!” Anya hissed. “I can’t believe I listened to you.”

“Listened to me?” Dmitry’s brow arched. “I don’t know, the way you were clinging to me I think you wanted to.”

Anya grumbled and crossed her arms to cover her nerves. 

Dmitry shrugged as he slid his shorts off, now down to only a pair of boxers. 

Anya’s mouth gaped as she looked at him. She didn’t know how arrogant he had to be to strip down in front of her as she argued with him. 

“Are you coming or what?”

“With you?” Anya was appalled. 

“Yeah,” He shrugged. “a little midnight dip never hurt anyone.”

Anya scoffed and shook her head. 

“Alright,” Dmitry replied. “Suit yourself.”

He started down the dock and bent down to dip his hand in the water. 

Anya sighed and followed him down to the edge of the dock. She pulled her shoes off and set them on the dock as she dipped her toe in the water. 

Dmitry stopped her, “so you're getting in?”

“I’m not skinny dipping!” Anya scoffed. “And even if I was, it definitely wouldn’t be with you!”

“Scaredy Cat,” Dmitry muttered under his breath. 

His fingers grazed the waistband of his boxers. 

Anya swallowed hard as she watched his fingers dip below his waistband. 

“Excuse me?” Anya snapped. 

“You’re scared,” Dmitry shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s alright if you’re shy. I'm not going to make you jump in.”

“I’m not shy!” Anya retorted. He knew just how to get under her skin. 

“If you say so,” Dmitry shrugged. 

She frowned as he jumped off the dock and into the lake with a splash. She turned away as the water hit her leg and sprayed in her face. 

After being submerged for a moment he came up for a breath and pushed his floppy hair out of his eyes. He wiped the excess water off his face and shook his head. 

“It feels nice,” he shrugged as he tread water. “But if you don’t want to–”

Anya scoffed and rolled her eyes. She would never live down his teasing if she didn’t. 

He watched her from the water as she stood up on the dock. 

She glared at him and his brow arched. 

“Stop looking at me!” Anya snapped. 

He grinned and held his hands up and turned around in the water. 

Anya delicately stripped down to her bra and underwear and stood on the dock. She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged her arms for warmth. Her jaw quivered with her nerves, and even in the warm, summer air she felt cold. 

Anya stared into the dark water below her, blood pounding in her ears.

Dmitry tread water with his back to her, gazing at the night sky above them as he waited. 

Anya held her breath, kept her arms across her chest, and jumped in the lake. 

With a splash, she was submerged, and Dmitry started and turned around. 

Anya came up for a breath, and pushed her long hair back, her soft waves now hanging limp by her face. She was careful to only rise to her collarbone and folded her arms over her chest as she stood on her tiptoes in the water. 

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Dmitry said softly. "No one is going to see you." 

“You could see me,” Anya snapped. “That’s more than I’d like.”

Dmitry let out a soft laugh in response. 

“I won’t look, if it makes you feel better.” He held his hands up as he backed himself away. 

“You promise?”

“I promise.” 

Anya slowly peeled her arms away from her chest. 

“It’s too dark to see anything, anyway,” Dmitry said softly as he looked across the lake. 

He knew this was a lie. He could see her frame silhouetted by the moonlight, and the soft reflection of the stars in her eyes. 

“It’s always nicer at night,” he said softly, almost as if he had forgotten she was there at all. “Almost makes you forget the sun beating down on the back of your neck during the day.”

Anya approached him and carefully reached up to fix a piece of his hair that had fallen in his eyes. 

Dmitry held his breath as he looked at her. 

She looked him in the eye for a moment, and then looked down at his lips. Then almost as quickly as he had jumped in the lake, she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his. She felt his breath catch on initial surprise, and then his hand wrap around the small of her back to hold her. 

She felt him softly kiss her, capturing her lower lip between his own. Anya desperately nipped his lip, as if kissing him was cathartic. 

She pulled away and averted her eyes, hiding her face in her shoulder. 

“Anya,” Dmitry whispered in the darkness. 

She lifted her eyes to look at him, the darkness concealing the blush in her cheeks. 

He paused for a moment as his lips parted. There was a beat between them.

“How-how long had you waited to do that?” He asked. The usual jest in his tone had dissolved into uncertainty. His brow immediately gave away his confusion. 

Anya’s lips parted as she searched for an answer. She wasn’t certain herself. He had gotten on her nerves since they had arrived at the campsite, but what irritated her most was how he was annoying and good-looking—all at the same time. She didn’t think someone so insufferable should be allowed to be that handsome. 

“I don’t know,” Anya replied quietly. “I think a part of me wanted to from the moment I first saw you.”

Dmitry’s face softened for a moment, and then hardened into his signature grin. “You’ve had a crush on me all this time?”

“No!” Anya retorted. “That’s not what I said.” She sheepishly crossed her arms over her chest. 

“How embarrassing,” Dmitry laughed. 

“Shut up!” Anya frowned. 

She started back to the dock. Kissing him had been a bad idea. Jumping into the lake had been a bad idea. Stripping down to her underwear because she couldn't let him win had been a bad idea. Coming here with him had been a bad idea. 

Her fingers grazed the edge of the dock and she bobbed in the water, her mind racing. She wanted to get out.

“Anya,” Dmitry said softly. “Come on, I was just playing around.”

“I was so stupid to listen to you,” Anya replied with her back to him.

“Hey now,” Dmitry swam to her. “Anya, I was just teasing.”

Anya turned over her shoulder to look at him. His face was soft and solemn. 

“Come back here,” he swallowed hard. 

Anya sank back into the water as he approached her. His fingers gently grazed her shoulder and traced up to her jaw. 

He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. As he pulled away and her lips parted, he gazed into her eyes. 

“I may have a small crush on you, too.”

Her face softened. She stroked her fingers through his damp hair. She averted her eyes from looking at his bare chest and the fluidity of how he reached up to tuck a limp strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m wet, and cold, and I would like to go to bed,” Anya said softly. 

Dmitry laughed and nodded. 

Anya turned back to the dock and reached up to climb onto the dock, but struggled to pull herself back up. 

“Here, let me help you,” Dmitry said quietly. 

He locked his fingers together and held his hands steady as a step to help her up. She pushed herself up and climbed back onto the dock. For a moment she tried to wipe and shake the excess water off her body before searching for her clothes in the dark.

She grabbed from the pile of clothes on the dock and suddenly it felt so insignificant. Anya picked up a shirt and pulled it on as Dmitry pulled himself onto the dock. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

Anya nodded nervously. 

She was wet and her skin prickled in the cool air. A chill rippled down her spin. 

Dmitry walked to the shoreline and grabbed his clothes. He pulled his shorts on and fastened them. 

Anya stood, slightly shaking from her nerves and the cool air. 

Dmitry returned by her side and looked at her shirt, and how it hung on her small frame. His lips parted as he analyzed how large her shirt was on her, and how he seemed to be missing his own. 

He shook his head and smiled as he looked at her. Anya offered a smile in return. 

She slipped her shoes back on and started back to the cabins with him. This time, she walked beside him. 

He was silent, but it was comforting. 

“You’re in cabin twelve right?” Dmitry asked. 

“Yeah,” Anya breathed. 

There was a beat between them. Anya felt a panic bubbling in her throat as she snapped back to reality. 

“I believe this is your stop,” Dmitry said quietly. 

She paused and bit her lip. “I can’t go in there,” she said quickly. 

Dmitry arched a brow. “Are you going to sleep out here instead?” He asked. 

“No,” Anya replied. She bit her lip as her heart raced. “Can I please stay with you?”

He laughed. “I thought you didn’t even want to look at me, now you want to stay with me?”

“Please,” Anya pleaded. 

“Alright, let’s go,” he said softly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Without thinking, he pressed a kiss into her damp hair as they walked. 

He walked her back to his cabin. At the door, she stood on her toes and kissed him once again, just to be sure, before he let her in. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me on the structure of the plot of this lol

Anya woke to a dull pain in her neck. She knew she should be used to it by now—the cabin beds were brutally uncomfortable to sleep on. She squeezed her eyes shut and dragged a hand up to knead her neck. 

Anya rolled her head to try to ease the pain in her neck, but to no avail. She rolled onto her back. The twin bed felt much smaller and she let out a soft groan. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes she gasped. This wasn’t her bed, or even her cabin, for that matter. 

Dmitry Sudayev was fast asleep beside her. He was laying on his stomach, his face was buried in his pillow, his mess of brown hair falling in his eyes as his back gently rose and fell with each breath. 

Anya lifted the blanket on his bed just enough to do a quick panty check. She was wearing underwear. That was a good start. Well, save for waking up in bed beside Dmitry. 

The memory of the night before rushed back to her. All summer she had dreaded having to work nights with Dmitry, but for some reason last night she found him to be somewhat tolerable. 

Anya was sitting attentively with the radio, listening for any disruptions and ready to call back if she needed to. But Dmitry distracted her by pointing out the constellations in the night sky. 

Perception shifted and she began to see a different side of him. Perhaps this version of Dmitry only came out in the late hours of the night, when he wasn’t trying to cut her in line or stare her down while he taught his campers how to tie sailor knots. 

When their shift ended, he had asked her if she trusted him. Afraid of what card he had up his sleeve, she said yes (She didn’t). And the next thing she knew he was carrying her down to the lake and they were stripping down to go skinny dipping. 

This morning her memories of the night before had the same fogginess and uncertainty of being intoxicated.

Anya peered off the side of the bed where she had discarded a pile of her own clothes. She was wearing a shirt much too large for her and could only assume this was Dmitry’s. 

Anya squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her jaw and tried to quietly slide out of the bed. She clearly hadn’t thought this part through. 

While Dmitry was still asleep, along with the rest of the guys in his cabin, she grabbed her clothes off the floor and slid her shoes on. It was like a walk of shame, only at a sleep away camp it was ten times worse. 

Dmitry looked so peaceful in his deep sleep, she was sorry such a strange and wonderful night had to end with her sneaking out of his cabin at dawn. 

“Anya?” Dmitry whispered groggily. 

She froze and bit her lip to hold in a curse. 

He rolled over and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 

Anya stood still, her heart racing. She didn’t know what to say. 

He reached his hand out to her. 

Anya sighed and dropped her shoulders, and returned back to him. She sat on the edge of the bed while she played with his fingers. 

He smiled to himself, still sleepy. 

“I have to go, before someone sees me,” she whispered. 

“I know,” he nodded. He dropped his head into the crook of his arm. “Do you want me to walk you?” 

Anya bit her lip and shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay.”

He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. 

She smiled and brushed his floppy hair out of his eyes. 

Anya clutched her clothes to her chest as her hand lingered in his for just a moment too long. 

He sat up as she silently waved and headed for the cabin door. 

Dmitry watched her until she slipped out the door, out of sight. 

Anya walked across the campground to her cabin, her finger tracing her lips as she felt a phantom kiss from the night before. 

Her heart raced as she thought of him, the fluid movement in his muscles as he moved, how serene he looked so early in the morning. She was sure she had fallen asleep with his arm draped over her waist, holding her close. 

She quickened her pace to her cabin and slipped in the door without much incident. 

Luckily, the other counselors in her cabin were all still asleep. Anya carefully slipped her shoes off and dug her pajamas out of her trunk. 

She changed quickly and left Dmitry’s shirt on her bed as she stashed her laundry away. 

Anya picked up his shirt, and looked at it wearily. She knew she should have given it back to him. Perhaps she would at some point. But it carried his scent and her stomach turned in a knot. She carefully folded his T-shirt and crawled into bed with it. It was like a souvenir of a summer night. A night her heart didn’t want to forget, as much as her head wanted her to forget Dmitry. 

She tucked the shirt under her pillow and curled up with her blanket to front the illusion she had been there all night. 

Her stomach dropped as she lay awake, staring out the window across the room as the sun rose. 

It was confusing. 

Dmitry had irritated her from the moment she had stepped off the bus. She had decided then she didn’t care for him much. And it was going to be a long summer with him at the campsite. 

Every time she heard her name roll off his tongue she cringed. It had become instinct. It was like bracing for an impact.

And somehow as much as her neck hurt from sleeping funny and how a twin sized bed was not made for two people, her body ached for him to be beside her. She hated to admit since she had arrived at camp, she had probably gotten her most restful night of sleep right beside him. That was ironic.

* * *

Dmitry watched the cabin door click shut behind Anya and waited a moment longer, propped up on his elbows. He turned over and looked to see if anyone else was awake. 

For a moment he held his breath and listened. He was in the clear. 

Dmitry slid off the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He bent down to tidy the clothes strewn across the floor by his bed. 

Quickly, he grabbed discarded shorts and an old t-shirt and spotted a bracelet on the floor by the foot of his bed. He picked it up and ran his thumb over the pattern of knots. It was the bracelet Anya had so intensely worked on to avoid talking to him. 

There was a small ridge in the pattern where she had not tied the knots so tight. If Dmitry remembered correctly, this was about where she was the night they panicked while they were on duty, and her fingers trembled as she tried to busy herself with her bracelet. 

He smiled softly as he looked at the bracelet. He laid out fresh clothes for the day and got back in bed for a little longer. As he laid in bed he admired Anya’s handiwork on the bracelet. 

He balled his fist around the bracelet as he stared up at the cabin ceiling. 

His attention snapped back as he heard movement in the cabin and he turned to see several counselors getting up for the day. 

Dmitry waited a moment longer and then pretended to stretch like he had just woken up. He slid out of bed and got dressed, carefully tucked Anya’s bracelet into his pocket for safekeeping and grabbed his whistle and clipboard

* * *

The campsite rose for the day and Anya tried to cling to her memory for just a moment longer. She didn’t know if she would ever see that Dmitry again. She wondered if at breakfast the spell would be broken and he’d be right back to asking her if she was tall enough to ride when she entered the mess hall. 

She reluctantly got dressed. Her campers wouldn’t curb their enthusiasm for her confused heart. 

Anya ran a brush through her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. 

“Are you ready, Anya?” One of the girls in her cabin asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute,” Anya replied. 

She tied her sneakers and clipped her hip pack on. 

Anya walked into the mess hall and grabbed a tray to join the line for breakfast. Her heart raced as she waited. The only thing on her mind was Dmitry. She wished he hadn’t confused her heart so badly, but the only ill will she wished on him now was that he was just as confused as she was. 

Dmitry walked into the mess hall with a couple of the other counselors. He grinned and laughed as he conversed with them in line. 

Anya felt her heart sink. It was a very real possibility he could act like nothing had happened last night at all. 

Anya slid her tray along the line, scarcely filling it with breakfast. She had lost her appetite. She served herself a few bites of scrambled eggs, a piece of toast and a glass of juice. 

As she paused and scooped hash browns onto her plate, a tall figure slid down the line beside her. 

“Good morning, Romanov,” he said cordially. He was right back to where they started. 

“Hi,” Anya said quietly. She didn’t look up from the hash browns. She didn’t need to. 

After dropping a small helping on her plate, she handed Dmitry the spoon and he took a large scoop and dropped it on his plate. 

He was in a much brighter mood than he had been a few hours earlier. Perhaps it was a touch of hair product that was the key to making him a whole person in the morning. For living in a place with what Anya would barely call a shower, his hair always did look well taken care of. But she was getting beside herself. 

“Sleep well?” He asked. His voice was low and soft, and she was somehow more confused by this than if he had just been his usual annoying self. 

“As well as you can ever in those cabin beds,” Anya replied. 

The corner of his lip curled into a smile. 

“See you around, Romanov,” he laughed as he took his tray and headed to his group’s table. 

“See… you—” Anya turned over her shoulder and he was gone. 

He was hard to read and for her tendency to overthink, it was incredibly frustrating. 

She took her plate to her group table, her girls chattering excitedly as they ate breakfast. Anya picked at her plate as she stared down into it. 

Her campers ate, traded beaded bracelets and told stories. They were too awake for Anya this morning. 

She looked across the mess hall where Dmitry sat with a group of boys. His head tilted back with his laughter and his brows made his expression easily readable. He was so good with kids, probably because he was basically a big kid himself. 

Groups of campers finished their meals and cleared out from the mess hall to begin their activities for the day. Dmitry stood up and carried his plate across the mess hall, but instead of walking to the kitchen, he was walking toward her. 

“Alright girls, ten minutes and then we’re heading out,” Anya said firmly. 

Her campers nodded as they finished breakfast. 

Anya set her fork down as she spotted Dmitry looking at her. 

“Anya,” Dmitry said softly as he approached her table. 

This already felt weird. The only time he had ever called her by her first name was when he had let his guard down. 

“Can I help you?” Anya replied. 

He offered his plate, still with significant portions on it of everything he had watched Anya take for herself. “I saw you picking at breakfast,” he lowered his voice. 

“I’m not hungry this morning,” Anya replied. “And I don’t want your leftovers.”

Dmitry set the plate down in front of her and grabbed a chair from the next table over. 

“They’re not leftovers,” He spun the chair around and sat on it, resting his arms on the back of the chair as he straddled it. “I saw you take the smallest scoop of eggs I’ve ever seen in my life. You need to eat, you need the strength.”

Anya glared at him. 

He arched his brow in response. 

She sighed and her shoulders dropped. 

“Come on,” he said softly as he pushed the plate to her. 

“I don’t have much appetite.”

“Anya,”

There it was again. 

She sighed and rolled her eyes. She picked up her fork and began to eat. 

Dmitry nodded with a satisfied grin. 

She finished off his plate and handed it back to him. 

“Better?” He smirked. 

Anya nodded. She hated that he was right.

Just as quickly as he had come, he was gone. He smiled and took the plate back to the kitchen. 

Then, Dmitry was herding a group of boys out of the mess hall. Anya knew she should do the same. 

As she walked her girls out to one of the activity stations she caught Dmitry looking at her and swore she caught a smile. 

He shook his head and his eyes cast away. 

Anya knew then this feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn’t going away. 


	5. Chapter 5

Evening duty rotated back to Anya and Dmitry for the first time since the night they had gone down to the lake. Anya was quiet and reserved tonight, still uncertain where she and Dmitry stood with each other. Sometimes he was soft, and other times he still relentlessly teased her. 

But there was something intoxicating about how he kept his deepest feelings close to his heart. 

Anya crossed her legs as she sat in the grass and looked up at the night sky. Dmitry sat beside her, leaning back into the grass. Their shifts together had grown considerably more tolerable. 

“What are you looking at?” Dmitry asked. 

There was a beat between them. Anya pursed her lips to hide a smile. “The stars,” Anya replied whistfully.

She tilted her head back as she looked up. “To us, they’re so small. Do you think we look small to them?”

Dmitry's mouth gaped at such a broadly existential question. He was learning Anya was full of those. 

“I do,” he replied softly. 

It was sobering to Anya as she realized just how small a place they held in the universe and still to realize though she was so small in the universe, she played such a big part in Dmitry's. 

He propped himself up on his elbows as he leaned back beside her, gazing at the sprinkling of stars in the clear sky. 

Anya turned to look at him and leaned over to sweep his hair out of his eyes. She tilted his chin as she pressed her lips to his. Dmitry instantly melted into her touch. 

He let out a soft groan, both the exhaustion of a day of wrangling campers and the satisfaction of Anya’s attention escaping him. She kissed his cheek and planted a trail down his neck. 

His breath hitched as she hit a tender place on his neck and he groaned as he tilted his head to one side. Dmitry wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer. 

Anya let out a small yelp in surprise and smiled against his lips. Dmitry grinned and turned a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing her jaw on return.

It was quiet and peaceful during the night shift. It felt like they had the whole world to themselves. 

Anya kissed him deeply and as she pulled away she straddled her leg over his waist, adjusting for both of their comfort. 

Her hands desperately held his jaw as she kissed him, and a soft laugh escaped his lips. 

Dmitry slowly rolled back in the grass, keeping a hand on her waist to steady her as she kissed him. It was like a switch had been flipped and the Anya only he knew had returned.

He dragged his fingers down her thighs and felt her breath catch as she kissed him. He smiled, a grin appearing on his lips to tell her he knew exactly what he was doing. 

It had been their secret to use the often empty hours of night duty to keep each other entertained. 

He laid flat on his back as she straddled him, his fingers wandering up her sides, making her blush and smile. She was a faint shadow of the uptight camp counselor he saw in the day. 

As his fingers stretched up her sides, Anya caught his hands and pulled them to her lips to kiss his knuckles. She released his hands and leaned over him, her long hair falling in his face.

Her fingers traced his cheek and she smiled as her face was inches from his. 

He thought Anya always looked pretty, but she had a different glow when she was lit by moonlight and only answered to him in the empty hours of the night. 

Static came across the radio and Anya jumped. She turned to look where she had left it in the grass. 

Dmitry paused and watched it. 

They held their breath, listening. 

Anya could hear her blood pounding in her ears, afraid she might have to attend to something at a moment’s notice. 

She held her breath for just a moment longer and when the radio went silent, she exhaled. 

Anya pulled back and rolled off Dmitry and into the grass. He stayed laying flat on his back. 

She crossed her legs and sat up straight. Guilt burned in the back of her throat. She checked her watch. It was nearly time for them to turn in anyway. 

Anya got up to her feet and dusted the grass off her legs. 

“Do we have to go?” Dmitry asked, as if turning in for the night was admitting defeat. 

Anya offered him her hand and he grabbed it as he sat himself up. He rose to his feet and walked beside her as they retreated to their respective cabins. 

And then as soon as the sun rose, the game was over. They went back to being just coworkers.

* * *

The next morning Anya grabbed breakfast from the mess hall, keeping an eye out for Dmitry. Her thoughts about him were beginning to seep past her midnight shifts with him and into her daytime thoughts and activities. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Yet. 

His distinct presence was missing from the hall. Anya glanced around the room as she picked at her breakfast. And then she noticed his campers split up between other tables with other counselors. 

“I’ll be right back,” she mumbled to her campers as she excused herself, using the cover she needed a drink. 

She grabbed a glass and lingered by the juice as she debated filling a glass. One of the other counselors got up to get a drink and she busied herself pouring juice. “Ivan."Her voice was low, just enough to get his attention. 

He looked at her and came closer, his brow raised. “What’s up?”

“Where is Dmitry? I saw his campers split between some other tables.” Anya observed. She bit her lip as she waited for his response. Her face felt hot, afraid he could sense a change in her behavior. 

“He went to first aid this morning,” Ivan replied. “We’re just covering until he comes back. Should be back by lunch.”

Ivan shrugged and poured himself a glass of juice. 

“What happened to him?” Anya asked. Her cheeks flushed. 

“Didn’t say,” Ivan replied. “Just didn’t feel well this morning and said he needed to see the nurse right away.”

Anya was silent. She wrung her hands and looked at Ivan. “If he-you- need help with his campers, let me know,” she said quickly. 

Ivan nodded and brushed her off. 

Anya grabbed her glass and looked back at Ivan as she headed back to her table. _What could have changed between last night and this morning?_

* * *

At lunch, Anya picked at her plate. The pit in her stomach grew deeper the longer Dmitry was gone. He seemed fine last night—that was unless it had something to do with her. 

Dmitry's tall, lanky figure walked into the mess hall and Anya's head snapped up.

He looked a little reserved, and his hair was a bit disheveled, but otherwise he looked fine.

She tried to grab his attention but missed it as he got intercepted and caught up with one of the other counselors. 

Anya frowned and returned to her plate. 

After lunch, the campers were dismissed for free play, and Anya walked out to the campsite to supervise. 

Dmitry walked out of the mess hall with another counselor. “No, it’s nothing serious,” Dmitry laughed as he waved. “You take care!”

He strolled past Anya as if nothing had happened.

“Dmitry,” she said quickly as he passed her. 

“Oh, hey, Romanov,” he smiled. 

Anya squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw to keep herself from saying something she would regret. 

She exhaled and opened her eyes, her shoulders dropping. 

“What happened to you?” Anya asked as she lowered her voice. 

“Nothing,” Dmitry shook his head. 

“Don’t brush this off,” Anya warned. “Ivan said you went to see the nurse.”

“Oh that,” Dmitry smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I woke up with a rash. I was worried it might have been poison ivy.”

“Oh God, Dmitry!” Anya felt the blood drain from her face. She rubbed her temple. 

“Don’t worry!” Dmitry said quickly as he held his hands up to stop her. “I thought I had rolled into some last night, but it was just a grass rash.”

“You’re allergic to grass?” Anya asked dryly. 

“Yeah, it irritates my skin on close contact,” Dmitry shrugged. 

“Don’t you think it’s pretty ballsy to take a job where you’re surrounded by grass and the outdoors?” Anya asked. 

“No, but I think it’s ballsy to let something so small keep you from doing something you love,” Dmitry replied wistfully. 

Anya's mouth gaped as she searched for a smart reply. 

“Did the nurse ask you what happened?” Anya asked. 

“I told her I thought I dropped my sweat towel in some poison ivy after a late night run,” Dmitry shrugged. 

He didn’t seem too concerned he had spent his morning with the nurse. 

“And she believed you?” Anya asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Of course she did,” Dmitry laughed. “Has anyone ever doubted this face?”

Anya frowned. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Anya replied coldly as her eyes cast away. 

Dmitry’s lip curled into a smirk. “What did you think happened to me?”

“I don’t know!” Anya tossed her hands out. “But it’s concerning to hear you went to the nurse for an unspecified reason when we’re in the middle of the woods!”

“Were you worried it had to do with you?” Dmitry asked as he scrunched his nose. 

“No,” Anya replied as her cheeks flushed. 

Dmitry laughed. 

“But you were worried the nurse was going to ask about you,” Dmitry folded his arms as he cracked a satisfied grin. 

“No! I-“ Anya stopped herself. She sighed and let her shoulders drop. “I’m just glad it wasn’t serious.”

Dmitry let out a small _hmph_ beside her as he shifted his weight. 

“I appreciate your concern,” Dmitry said quietly. 

“Don’t get all soft on me, Sudayev,” Anya replied. “I’d want you to do the same for me.”

Dmitry’s lip curled into a smile. 

"Oh, hey," Dmitry said softly as he slipped his hand into his pocket.

Anya turned to look at him. 

He pulled something from his pocket and held it in his fist, "you dropped this in my cabin, the other night."

Dmitry uncurled his fist to reveal Anya's bracelet. 

Anya gasped and her cheeks flushed. She gently took it from him, holding it tight between her fingers. Her lips pursed as she was deep in thought, and she bit her lip as she looked away. 

"Thank you," Anya replied as she tucked the bracelet in her pocket. 

"No problem," Dmitry shrugged. "Now no nonexistent friend will be upset."

Anya looked up at him for a moment as she realized what he was getting at. Her cheeks burned at how adamant she was on those early nights to not talk to him. 

"Well, I'm sure they would appreciate it," Anya replied, "if they existed."

"Right," Dmitry smirked. "Of course."

Dmitry poked his finger into her side and she squirmed out of his touch. “Dmitry, I’m trying to do my job,” she pouted. 

“And I’m only trying to do mine,” he replied. “I’ve missed your smile.”

"You were only gone half a day," Anya replied.

"I know," he said softly. "But I don't see your smile much during the day, anyway."

Her cheeks flushed red. "Dmitry," Anya warned.

"What?"

“You're standing too close to me.”

“Even if I wasn't close, I could still look at you from a distance.”

“Then please do," Anya replied. "You’re suspiciously close.”

"Are you afraid people will think you have a crush on me?" Dmitry teased. 

"No!" Anya snapped. 

Dmitry grinned. Her face was cute when her nose was scrunched up and she was cross with him. He laughed as Anya opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. She reached up and poked the dimple in his cheek. 

Dmitry softened as he collected himself. “Are you free after dinner?”

“Are you trying to ask me out?” Anya scoffed. “After all that?”

“I might need help with this allergy medication I got from the nurse, I don’t know,” Dmitry shrugged. He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. 

Anya's jaw hung open as she looked at him.

Dmitry bit his lip hard as he broke into laughter.

“You’re the worst!” Anya snapped.

“I’m just kidding,” Dmitry laughed. “But seriously, are you free?”

There was a beat between them. 

“That depends."

“On what?”

“What you had in mind,” Anya replied as she crossed her arms.

“There’s a pretty clear view of the sky today, I expect tonight it will be clear,” Dmitry said softly. “I’ll be out looking at the stars. You’re welcome to join me, if you like.”

Anya felt a flutter in her stomach as her face softened. 

Dmitry headed down to the grass where the campers were starting to clean up their games. 

Anya stood alone as she watched him, and then looked up at the sky. She had a hard time saying no to the stars. And a surprisingly hard time saying no to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Anya walked down to the edge of the lake in the evening to find Dmitry sitting alone on a picnic table by the dock. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon.

Dmitry looked peaceful as he sat with his legs outstretched and he leaned back against the table. She almost didn’t want to disturb him. 

The crunch of dirt under her sneakers was a dead giveaway and Dmitry turned to look at her. 

“Hey,” Anya smiled sheepishly. She approached the picnic table, a large towel folded neatly in her arms. 

“You came all the way out here?” Dmitry teased as he watched her round the table.

“You asked me to come!” Anya laughed as she took a seat on the bench beside him.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come,” Dmitry smirked as he looked out over the lake. 

“Of course I was going to!”

Dmitry’s lip curled into a satisfied grin. The golden light of the sunset highlighted his features as he sat peacefully, only a light breeze tossing his hair. 

Anya settled down onto the bench beside him. “Can you believe it’s almost over?” She said softly. 

“It goes by too fast every year,” Dmitry replied softly.

Anya nodded in agreement. 

“Sometimes you just wish, even for a second, you could slow time down just a little,” Dmitry mused as he watched the lake ripple with the breeze. 

Anya swallowed hard as she nodded. 

Dmitry pursed his lips as he watched the sun sink below the horizon. 

“I thought you were going to show me some stars,” Anya said softly. 

“Relax!” Dmitry laughed as he came to, and sat up straighter beside her. “The sun hasn’t even gone down all the way.”

Anya grumbled as she sank into the bench beside him. 

Dmitry shook his head as he listened to her groan. “Hey, it’s my job to be a pain in the ass around here.”

Anya laughed and she tried to hide her smile by turning her cheek into her shoulder. 

The sun sank into the horizon and the night sky was clear, just as Dmitry had predicted. 

A firefly lazily passed and Dmitry held his hand out to catch it. He drew his hand in to look at it as it’s abdomen flashed. 

Anya turned to look at what he was doing and watched as it crawled on his hand. Dmitry smirked and held his hand out and let it fly away. 

“Where are you going after camp is over?” Dmitry asked. 

“Back to school,” Anya sighed as she stretched her legs out. They were much shorter than his. 

“School?” Dmitry scrunched his nose. 

“Yeah,” Anya nodded. “I’m finishing my degree this year.”

“Good for you,” Dmitry replied with a nod of approval. 

Anya nodded. “What about you?” 

Dmitry shrugged, “Don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Anya sat up to look at him. 

“Probably crash on a friend’s couch immediately after this, then maybe pick up a job at a bar.”

Anya nodded. 

As the sky grew darker, stars began to appear. Anya stared up at the sky, trying to make out anything above them. 

“Come on,” Dmitry said quietly as he got up from the picnic table.

“Where are you going?” Anya asked. She watched Dmitry walk toward the lake. 

Anya crossed her arms over her chest, “the last time you did this we ended up skinny dipping.”

“And do you regret that?” Dmitry asked as he turned back to look at her. 

Anya bit her lip before she answered. “No.”

Dmitry laughed as he walked down to the dock. 

Anya sighed and grabbed her towel and followed him down. 

Dmitry smirked as he watched Anya step down to the dock, carrying a towel with her and Dmitry’s brow arched. 

“What did you bring that for?” He laughed. 

“In case you wanted to lie in the grass again,” Anya murmured. “I don’t want you getting another rash.”

Dmitry smiled. 

“But it could protect you from splinters on the dock too,” Anya replied as she carefully spread it out over the dock. Dmitry took a seat on the towel and rolled onto his back. 

Anya sat down as Dmitry propped his head up on his arm. 

He took his free arm and tugged at her shirt. Anya pulled away from him. 

“Come on,” Dmitry murmured. “You’re going to sit upright like a stick in the mud? How are you going to see the stars?”

Anya pouted as she turned to look at him. She rolled back to lie flat on her back beside him, her copper curls sprawling out around her. 

For a moment they sat in silence. Dmitry rested his arm on his waist while he tucked the other behind his head. It was impossible they had run out of words between them. It was more likely the thoughts were too big to put into words. 

“Do you see that?” Dmitry asked. He traced something in the sky above them.

Anya tried to follow where his finger was pointing. “What?”

“See that bright light right there? Look, follow my finger.”

She tried to follow and caught a bright light. “Yeah.”

“That’s Jupiter, just barely visible. And right there below that bright light you can kind of see the outline of Hercules.”

“How do you know?”

“I was looking at a chart earlier,” he confessed. “But my father taught me how to find constellations in the sky.”

“It’s really cool how we just decided that the stars are making little pictures in the sky,” Anya mused. 

Dmitry’s lip turned into a smile. “You mean you don’t believe in the gods watching from the sky above us?”

“I don’t believe Hercules is watching over us right now,” Anya replied. 

“Well,” Dmitry shifted closer to her. “I don’t know what to tell you, Romanov. He’s right there.”

Anya laughed, and clutched her hand to her stomach as she rolled onto her side. 

“Careful,” Dmitry said softly. He bit his lip and reached his hand down to gently touch hers. 

Anya stopped laughing and bit her lip as she curled her fingers between his. Dmitry gave her hand a squeeze. He pulled her hand closer to his chest and held it as she turned into his shoulder. 

They sat in silence for a moment, taking in the last night they had left at the campsite. 

Dmitry pressed a kiss to the back of Anya’s hand. 

Anya turned to look at him. 

“Isn’t that what you came here for?” Dmitry asked. 

“No,” Anya replied. “I came here to hang out with you.”

“But you wouldn’t mind—“

“I enjoy your company,” Anya said softly. “And the other choice was drinking Champagne the other counselors snuck into the campsite.”

“And that would be breaking a rule?”

“Shut up,” Anya teased as she pulled her hand away and covered his mouth. 

“I think I broke a rule when I kissed you the very first time,” Anya said softly. 

“I do tend to have that affect on people,” Dmitry replied. 

Anya laughed. 

“What are you waiting for, Romanov?”

“Well now I’m not going to kiss you!”

“What!” He laughed as he sat up. Dmitry looked down at Anya as she laughed. “Why? I’m telling you to kiss me and now you don’t want to?” Dmitry laughed. 

“It’s no fun if you tell me to do it,” Anya replied. 

Dmitry leaned over her as she giggled on her back. “You’re a hard one.”

“I never said I was going to be easy.”

“How about this? Can I kiss you?”

“I believe the word is may,” Anya corrected. 

“You… are very lucky you are pretty,” Dmitry replied. 

Anya laughed. “So now I’m pretty too?”

Dmitry smiled and shook his head. “Are you going to let me kiss you, or are you going to keep talking?”

Anya pursed her lips as she looked up at him. 

Dmitry leaned down to kiss her. As he sat on his knees and pulled back, Anya reached her fingers up and brushed them through his hair. 

The moonlight highlighted his angular features, and Anya reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb settling in the dimple in his cheek. 

“Are you going to miss night duty?” Anya asked. 

“No,” Dmitry replied. “But I am going to miss kissing you in the moonlight.”

“You better soak it in while you still can,” Anya smiled coyly. 

Dmitry ran his fingers through her hair. He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, and Anya closed her eyes. 

He smiled against her lips.

Anya wrapped her arm around him.

Dmitry nuzzled his nose into her neck and made her laugh. He exhaled and pulled his leg over her waist, rolling off her and laying beside her. 

Anya laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. She turned onto her side and curled up against his side. 

Dmitry pulled his fingers from her grip and wrapped his arm around her. Anya rested her hand on his chest.

She was quiet as she listened. 

Dmitry ran his fingers through the ends of her hair as they sat in silence. 

Anya shifted beside him and sat up to kiss his cheek. 

He lazily gave into her touch and she was kissing him again. There was a part of it that didn’t feel real. Like when he was with her, time didn’t matter, and every moment was poetically cinematic between them. 

Anya kissed him like it was the end of a movie, and the desperation coursing through her body was holding him to keep the night from slipping away.

* * *

On the last morning of camp, campers bustled around the mess hall, exchanging phone numbers and notes and saying goodbye. It was always bittersweet to see camp come to end at the end of the summer. 

Anya spotted Dmitry across the mess hall, where he was talking to a group of campers. It was hard to get him alone during the day.

She watched as he laughed and smiled with campers and as they offered him pens to sign their memory books. Dmitry always happily obliged. 

Anya bit her lip as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the bracelet she had made. She twisted it between her fingers in thought. 

As campers cleared out of the mess hall to board buses, Dmitry stood alone. He didn’t usually take bus duty, and instead hung back to help clean up at the campsite. 

He caught her gaze across the hall and held it for just a moment. 

Anya walked across the mess hall and stopped in front of him. “Dmitry,” she said quietly. 

He arched his brow as he looked down at her. 

Anya pursed her lips as she held the bracelet in her balled up fist. 

Dmitry’s eyes flicked to her hand and then back to her. 

“Yes?” He asked with a hard swallow. 

“Close your eyes,” Anya said quietly. 

Dmitry did as he was told and closed his eyes.

“And put your hand out,” Anya instructed. 

“Anya, what—“

“Just do it,” Anya replied sharply. 

He arched his brow and stuck his right hand out. 

Anya took the bracelet she had so carefully crafted, and stood on her toes to look down at his wrist as she delicately tied it on. 

“Anya, what are you doing?” Dmitry asked, feeling her fingers brushing over his wrist. 

“Okay,” Anya said softly. “Open.”

Dmitry opened his eyes and looked down at his wrist, immediately recognizing the bracelet. His lips parted and he snapped them shut. 

“Anya,” 

Anya bit her lip as she smiled. 

“This is yours,” Dmitry shook his head. 

“I want you to have it,” Anya replied. 

“But you—“ 

“I found a friend to give it to,” Anya finished his thought. “I hope he likes it.”

Dmitry looked down at the bracelet he had watched Anya make over the last few weeks. He traced his thumb over the pattern. “He does—I mean, I do.”

Anya’s cheeks flushed as she looked at Dmitry. 

He looked down at her, his eyes on her lips. He didn’t need to say anymore, she knew what he wanted and needed. 

He cupped her jaw in one fluid motion and pressed his lips to hers. There was joy and excitement in the way he held her, but also a desperation— as if holding her would keep her from having to leave. 

Anya held his jaw as he pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers. “Anya,” he whispered. 

She shushed him and held her finger to his lips. 

He pulled her hand away. “Anya, listen to me.”

Anya looked up at him, his brow soft as if he was desperate to hang on every last second.

“This has been one of the best camps, and most of that has been because of you,” Dmitry whispered. 

“Well anyone would say that if they were kissing other people on the job,” Anya teased. 

“I mean it,” Dmitry laughed. “Those nights were the best.”

“They didn’t start out fun, but they became fun.”

“I’m going to miss you,” Dmitry confessed quietly. 

Anya’s smile faded as she swept her fingers though his hair. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

She pulled a pen from her hip pack and pulled the cap open with her teeth. Anya grabbed Dmitry’s hand and turned his palm up. She carefully wrote her phone number down on his palm. “When you get to whichever friend’s couch you’re crashing on next, give me a call.”

Dmitry laughed as he watched Anya cap the pen. She tucked the pen back into her pocket. He looked down at her phone number, neatly printed on his hand. 

Anya stood on her toes and pulled him down into a kiss. She caught him in his own surprise, but he melted into her. Gripping the small of her back he pulled her in closer. 

Anya pulled back and kissed him again, the two of them standing alone in the mess hall. “I have to go,” Anya said quickly. 

Dmitry nodded. He watched Anya jog out of the mess hall and to the buses. And it hit him that the summer really was over.

* * *

**_September, three weeks later_ **

Anya crawled into bed one night with a book that was not for class, but rather her own reading pleasure. It was the first day of the new semester, so she snuggled down with a blanket and figured she might as well enjoy her last night of freedom before she was weighed down with papers and lectures and books. 

As she turned the page in her book, her phone started ringing and her brow knit as she turned to look at who would be calling her at this hour. 

It was an unidentified number, but the area code was Schenectady, her hometown. 

Her heart raced as she answered it and held her phone to her ear, “Hello?”

“Anya?”

The richness of his voice was immediately identifiable. 

“Dmitry,” Anya smiled as she closed her book. 

“I just wanted to let you know, I found a couch,” he replied matter-of-factly. 

Anya smiled. She could hear his grin through the line. “Is that so?” She teased. 

“This one happens to be in my very own place, I’ll have you know!” He replied with pride.

She could almost see him puffing his chest out to make himself taller.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Anya smiled as she bit her lip. 

“Anya,” Dmitry said softly. 

“Yes?” Her heart raced. In her mind over the last few weeks, she had imagined scenarios where they didn’t part ways so soon. She had envisioned a scenario where somehow they could live in the lightness of a casual summer romance forever. 

“You never told me you were from Schenectady,” Dmitry said softly. 

“It never came up,” she replied. “To be fair, you never said you were from Schenectady either.”

“It never came up,” he replied. She could hear his teasing grin.

Anya smiled. She missed him more than she had thought. 

“When you’re home for winter break, I’d love to see you,” he said softly. 

“Dmitry Sudayev, are you asking me on a date?” Anya teased. 

“This time I am!” He laughed.

“So I’m just supposed to wait until then?” Anya replied, wedging her phone between her ear and her shoulder. “Dmitry, it’s only September.”

“I’ll call you every night until then,”

“How romantic,” Anya chided. 

“Anya, I promise.”

She grinned as she held the phone to her ear. 

“There’s a train to the city, you know,” Anya replied. “I use it quite frequently, I could show you how.”

She heard his laughter on the other end of the line. 

“I’ve missed your quick remarks,” he confessed. 

“I’ve missed you,” Anya quietly confessed. 

There was a beat between them. Anya felt her heart race at the words that had slipped out. She looked down at her screen to make sure Dmitry hadn’t hung up. 

The line was still connected and counting minutes. 

“I mean, we spent so much time together over the summer, it’s weird to not see you every day anymore,” Anya added quickly to cover her slip. 

“I’ve missed you too,” Dmitry replied, as if he had not heard her rambling on the other end of the line. “You’re something special, you know that, Romanov?”

“You could remind me in case I’ve forgotten,” Anya said softly. 

“When you’re back in town, I want to take you out,” Dmitry said firmly. “This is me officially asking you on a date.”

Anya laughed, “Deal.”

Dmitry sounded satisfied on the other end of the line. “It’s late you should get to bed.”

“Dmitry!”

“But you’re more of a night owl anyway,” he laughed. 

“I’m holding you to that promise,” Anya replied. 

Dmitry laughed, and what had started as an unlikely pair turned into two people who couldn’t decide who should hang up first. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read, left kudos and commented! I hope this fic could bring a little summer joy to you in this not-very-summery summer. Much love as always xx


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